Living Waters Community Church is under contract to purchase the former Target at 26831 S. Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs. The store has been vacant since Jan. 29, 2011.

Written by

Chris Umpierre
cumpierre@news-press.com

In his 33 years selling commercial real estate in Southwest Florida, Andrew DeSalvo has never seen such a move: a big box becoming a big church.

Bonita Springs-based Living Waters Community Church is under contract to buy the former Target building and its parking lot on U.S. 41 in Bonita, Pastor Casey Higgins said. The price won't be made public until the sale is final, but the 97,000-square-foot property is assessed at $4.17 million according to the county appraiser.

The Target has sat vacant for almost three years. The building is in a plaza with a few businesses such as a tobacco shop, ...